Ben, the charity dedicated to supporting the people of the automotive industry

In support of Stress Awareness Month, and the current Covid-19 pandemic, the Automotive 30% Club chatted with Ben to hear more about the amazing work they do, how you can access their support and how we can support them.

About us

Ben is the charity dedicated to supporting the people of the automotive industry, providing support for life for them and their family dependents.

The charity has been here for automotive industry people since 1905 – back when automotive was a pushbike and some pedal power! Things have changed a little since then but over the last 115 years, Ben has been right by the industry’s side, growing, adapting and transforming alongside it.

Ben supports individuals to navigate through life’s challenges, empowering them to make positive, lasting change. We work with people to improve their lives by enhancing their health and wellbeing through our free and confidential online self-help, helpline and support services.

We provide our life-changing support to those facing crisis, as well as helping people prevent crisis. Our support empowers people to be more in control of managing their health and wellbeing to help them live well, think well, feel well and work well. Our support is tailored and relevant to the needs of each individual, based on a wide range of support options and addressing every aspect of a person’s life.

Our services

Ben first seeks to understand a person’s challenges and identify the causes of the underlying issues affecting their quality of life, health and wellbeing and then develops a tailored action plan to support them. We provide the relevant support and tools for each individual, with a range of potential support options, giving them control and choice over how they are supported, as well as providing the stability they need to make any changes needed.

We support people with stress, mental health conditions including anxiety and depression and help people to get their lives back on track when they face life challenges such as money problems, loneliness and bereavement. A designated case manager works with each individual, focusing on solutions and monitoring progress on an ongoing basis.

Access our support

Online self-help – Ben’s online support helps people to prevent issues arising or developing into a crisis. It offers people self-help resources and tools on a range of topics so they can access the help they need at their own pace. Information, advice, guidance and tips are provided on a range of topics such as money worries, mental health & wellbeing, self-care, stress, sleep, loneliness and bullying. Individuals can also sign up to receive tips, advice & tools via email regularly: www.ben.org.uk/signup.

Helpline – Ben delivers tailored one-to-one support via its free and confidential helpline, available on weekdays from 8am-8pm and accessible via the telephone, email, text and online chat. When an individual contacts Ben’s helpline, a helpline advisor will listen and seek to understand the issues they are facing and what support they might need or benefit from. Information, advice and guidance might be all that is required at this stage. The helpline advisor will also find out if the individual is eligible (proof of industry connection) and would benefit from Ben’s tailored support service.

Support service – Based on an initial exploratory conversation followed by assessing each person’s needs, a tailored support plan is developed. The support provided to each person is dependent on their own personal needs.

Covid-19

Ben will continue to be here for the automotive community providing health and wellbeing support for automotive people and their family dependants.

In response to Covid-19, we are aiming to fast-track access to Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) specifically for individuals who reach out to us for financial or money concerns related to the current situation.

How you can support Ben

Ben needs to raise around £4m a year to ensure that its services are fully funded. We rely on the generous support of our corporate partners and individuals from the automotive industry to ensure we’re always there for people when they need help the most.

Corporate donations, corporate events and fundraising initiatives which employees can actively participate in, such as our exciting range of fundraising challenge events, Bring It On 4 Ben, are just some of the ways that companies generate vital income for Ben.

Individuals contribute to Ben through one-off or regular donations and various fundraising challenges and initiatives, including through Bring it on 4 Ben. Automotive people can also support us by organising their own fundraising events; many of your colleagues have baked cakes, played 5-a-side football, worn silly hats or even shaved their heads to help others in the industry through Ben.

You can find out more about Ben and their online support, including tips, advice and tools dedicated to supporting people through stress and anxiety, along with advice specifically on financial worries during Covid-19 at www.ben.org.uk

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The UK Automotive 30% Club is a voluntary group of MDs and CEOs from automotive manufacturing, retailing and supplier companies. The club was founded by Julia Muir, CEO of Gaia Innovation Ltd, with the purpose of achieving a better gender balance within the automotive industry, and with the aim of filling at least 30% of key leadership positions in the member organisations with women by 2030.